


Toes on the Edge

by kiwikero



Series: Moaning Caverns [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, And more about caves than you ever wanted to know, Fluff, Get ready for bad tour guide jokes, Liam and Zayn are there too, M/M, Niall will be in the next part if there is a next part, This is the Cave fic, Tour Guide!Louis, Tourist!Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-23
Updated: 2014-10-23
Packaged: 2018-02-22 06:46:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2498468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwikero/pseuds/kiwikero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Being a tour guide came naturally to Louis. He was able to be witty and dramatic... Hell, he was getting paid to be the center of attention.</p><p>He had a routine, and it was a good one. Every day, he took tourists deep inside the cracks and crevices of Moaning Caverns Scenic Park (puns intended).  Louis loved the cave, but it had never happened that he'd met someone he wished he was seeing the cavern with, instead of showing it to. That is, until he led a certain curly-haired stranger into the mountain.</p><p>One penis joke, a couple of barely-avoided accidents, and more than three impulsive photographs later, Louis found out just how easily his entire world could be rocked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Toes on the Edge

**Author's Note:**

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> This was inspired by [this post](http://peterpansflight.tumblr.com/post/66517682176) on tumblr. Most of my knowledge of caves is US-based, so please forgive me if I have any incorrect terminology or information about caves in the UK.
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and should be treated as such. The cave in this fic, while based on a real cave, is not associated with the real Moaning Cavern in any way.
> 
> This absolutely would not have been possible without my amazing betas! Between [Sarah](http://letstalkaboutharrysbuns.tumblr.com/)'s encouragement and [Emma](http://happil-arr-y.tumblr.com/)'s eye for detail, I was incredibly spoiled.
> 
> The title comes from the song "A Diamond and a Tether" by Death Cab for Cutie, and is a very fitting song for Louis in this fic.

_"Good afternoon, and welcome to Moaning Caverns Scenic Park."_

Louis' eyes left his book and flicked up to the wall-mounted speaker, frowning slightly at the interruption.

"Our next cavern tour begins in only a quarter-hour! Tickets are available at the welcome centre. See for yourself why Moaning Caverns is the area's top family attraction," Louis recited, even matching the intonation of the recording. He'd only heard it once or twice or a thousand times.

Heaving a sigh, he tucked a nearby ink pen into the paperback he was reading to mark his place and stood. That announcement signaled his turn to lead a tour, and he was expected to go and mingle with the guests for fifteen minutes prior to the departure time. He slid his book into the cubby marked with his name on the break room wall, exchanging it for his torch and a square white remote he used to control the lighting in the cave. With one final smoothing of his tan uniform shirt and forest green trousers, he headed outside to the cave entrance.

Louis was, without a doubt, one of the more popular guides, known for his humour and theatrics. This was made evident by the cheer emitted by some of the guests as he took up his post next to the gated mouth of the cave. He ducked his head, mildly discomfited at the special attention, but he had to admit he loved being remembered for the quality of his tour.

After all, it was a damn good tour.

Louis passed the time until the tour started by chatting with guests, offering to take pictures of families, and answering a few questions about the cave. This was his favourite part: meeting people from all around the world and seeing their eyes light up when they learned something new and exciting. Louis traipsed through the cave four or five times a day, five days a week, but watching other people experience it for the first time kept it fresh for him as well.

He was explaining to a little girl why the air coming from the mouth of the cave felt so cool, when something caught his eye. Standing next to the railing overlooking the river running through the park was a young man with a head full of tousled brown curls. He had a nice digital camera hanging around his neck on a colourful strap. As he focused the lens to get a picture, the visitor’s tongue poked from the corner of his mouth.

Louis rocked forward to stand on the balls of his feet, face splitting into a grin when he saw the subject was merely a squirrel at the base of a nearby tree. _City boy,_ he thought, chuckling to himself as he returned his attention to the inquisitive child.

There was a proper crowd gathered by the time the tour was due to start, and Louis had lost sight of Curly the Camera Boy. Maybe he had come off of the tour in front of Louis'. Ah, well.

Louis was startled out of his musings by a warm, lean body bumping into him.

"Have fun. Seems like a decent group," Zayn said, hands shoved in the pockets of his work trousers. Louis had no idea how Zayn managed to still look like a model in the unbecoming uniforms. He loved working with Zayn, though. The raven-haired boy had started at the Caverns only a month after Louis, and the two had instantly become partners in crime. They spent the slower days pranking the staff and making up inventive versions of the standard tour. Their ‘69 Tour,’ for example, was one of Louis’ favourites.

"May I have your attention, please! The next cavern tour is now ready to begin. Please assemble at the cave entrance,” Zayn and Louis narrated along with the recording, both of them giggling like teenagers. The nearby tourists smiled at their antics, an older gentleman commenting: "I bet you've heard that once or twice before!"

Louis smirked in reply as he opened the gate and headed alone into the cool, familiar first room of the cave.

"All right, everyone! If you'll have your tickets ready, I'll take them for you!" Zayn's voice echoed slightly from the cave's mouth.

Little groups of people gradually made their way into the first room of the cave. It was a fairly tight fit, once you crammed thirty people into it, but there were examples of all the different formations, and sometimes a bat or two would make an appearance. Louis stood up on his handy block of cement, scanning the crowd as they filed in.

Still no sign of City Boy.

Once the room was filled, and he’d heard Zayn close the gate, Louis cleared his throat and clapped his hands together.

"Hello, everyone! Are we ready to begin?" He paused for a beat, then continued. "Welcome to Moaning Caverns! My name's Louis, and I'll be your tour guide today." He quickly ran through the rules of the tour, then encouraged people to ask questions and take photos.

The little girl he had been speaking to earlier immediately raised her hand. Louis smiled fondly, always happy when young people were enthusiastic about the tour. "Why are we getting dripped on?" she asked, pointing to the ceiling.

Louis beamed at the girl. "That is an excellent question! The drips are actually what is forming the cave." Her mouth formed an astonished little ‘o’ as he launched into an explanation of how cave formations—speleothems—are formed.

“Groundwater soaks through the limestone above, carrying carbonic acid through layers of rock and dissolving minerals.” His eyes scanned the faces of the crowd, making sure he wasn’t speaking over anyone’s head. "When the mineral-laden water makes it all the way through the rock, it deposits those minerals on the walls, floor, and ceiling of the cave. Over time, those minerals pile up enough to be cave formations."

He pointed out a few common formations with his torch, like the fragile, hollow soda straws, ribbon-like cave bacon, and the cascading draperies. "And I know everyone has heard of these next two formations. Stalactites," he pointed up at cave's ceiling, "and stalagmites," he continued, sweeping the beam of his light to the mounded formations on the ground. He rested his torch against his palm, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. "Does anyone know how to tell the difference between the two?"

A hand slowly raised from the back of the group. Louis followed the long arm down to the boy it was attached to, and his lips quirked up in a little smile. Curly.

"Erm, isn't it something like... There's a 'c' in stalactites, because they hang from the ceiling, and there's a 'g' in stalagmites, because they grow up from the ground?" Curly asked, his voice a low, meandering drawl.

Louis nodded. "That's a very good way to remember it! You can also say that stalacTITES have to hang on tight to the ceiling, and stalagMITES come up from the ground and might meet the ceiling."

Curly's full lips tipped up into an amused smile, and Louis was glad it was too dark in the cave for anyone to notice if he was blushing a little.

After answering a few more questions, Louis hopped down from his platform in a practiced motion, weaving through the crowd. "All right, then, if you'll all just follow me we'll get to the good stuff! Do watch your head and your step as we go, but if you're nice enough to me I'll warn you before you have to duck!" Satisfied with the murmur of laughter from the crowd, Louis slipped through the passageway to the cavern's second chamber.

 

***

The next room was probably the most well-known area of the cave. Louis positioned himself in front of the namesake formation, always feeling a little self-conscious in this room, since there was no block to stand on, and he felt somewhat lost in the crowd. Not that it mattered; the acoustics in the cave carried his lilting voice beautifully.

Once everyone had assembled, Louis cleared his throat, standing up on tiptoe to draw attention to himself. Almost everyone took notice, though a few people continued photographing or exploring the larger space. Curly, as Louis had dubbed him, worked his way closer to the front of the crowd and stared up at the ceiling, mouth agape. Louis wasn't sure if it was with awe, or if he was trying to catch water droplets.

He shook his head, trying not to think about the fit, open-mouthed stranger (Shit, did Louis really think he was fit? Where had that come from?) he had at his mercy in a confined space for the next hour. Instead, he told the group about the large, cascading wall of drapery behind him, explaining the different colours of minerals and a little regarding the history of the cave. He ducked down and pulled a drum mallet with a padded head from its hiding place at the base of the formation.

"You may be wondering about the name 'Moaning Caverns.’ In fact, it’s because of the formation behind me. When struck, the noise resonating from the formation sounds like a low moan." He avoided meeting Curly's eyes, sure he wouldn't be able to control the blush creeping to his face if he did. _What's the matter with me? I've had plenty of attractive men on my tour before._ Turning away from the tourists, he carefully tapped a few ribs of the drapery with the mallet, only striking the calcite hard enough to elicit the famed moan.

The group murmured at the sound, impressed. Louis dropped the mallet back into its spot after a few more strikes, dusting his palms as he turned back to the group. "And that sound carries through the whole cave. I'm sure you've noticed, the cave has great acoustics."

A hand shot up again, and sure enough it belonged to the tall boy with the amazing mouth. Were his eyes green? It was hard to tell in the dim, artificial lighting. "D'you ever, ah, sing in here?" Curly asked shyly, lips wide in a grin that made a dimple stand out on his cheek.

Louis regarded him with something akin to wonder. It wasn't often that someone asked him a unique question like that, and of course it would be this attractive stranger who captivated Louis just a smidge. He quickly corrected his expression into a smug little smile.

"Only when I'm alone. Fancy giving us a show?"

The brunet bowed his head in embarrassment. "No," he mumbled, and Louis almost felt bad for the guy. Almost.

Flashing a self-satisfied smirk, Louis reached into his pocket and hit the button that lit up the next section of the cave. The tourists turned toward the now-brightened area, eager to see what lay beyond the closely packed stalagmites and columns.

"The area you're looking at is the most difficult section of the tour to get through," Louis explained, purposefully avoiding eye contact with a few larger guests. He knew they'd fit, but he didn't want anyone to feel embarrassed and always hated the fact that they might. "It's called the Fat Man's Misery. I'm going to let you all go ahead of me and wait at the bottom of the stairs in the next room. That way, if anyone gets claustrophobic, I can escort them back to the entrance." Louis wasn't positive, but he thought that Curly might look a touch nervous. "Don't worry too much; I fit, after all!" he added, gesturing to his ample bum. The crowd laughed, and Curly's face relaxed, if only a little.

One by one, the guests started slipping through the narrow passageway. Their footsteps echoed on the slick cement stairs that had been poured on top of the natural cave floor, and no one panicked enough to need to be taken outside. Before Louis knew it, he and Curly were the only ones left in the room.

Curly was standing at the opening of the passage, peering into it with what seemed like trepidation. Louis' eyebrows shot up as he approached the boy, surprised that someone so lanky would be afraid of a space that really wasn't that small.

Louis hummed a little as he stepped next to the brunet, announcing his presence. "You all right?" he asked, tilting his chin up to look at the other man. Wow, he really was tall.

The curly-haired boy turned slightly, looking down at Louis, eyebrows knit together in concern over his—wow, definitely green—eyes.

"Erm, yeah. Just taking my time. I'm a bit," he gestured down at his boot-clad feet, "clumsy."

Louis chuckled softly. "Worried you won't fit, love? I assure you, the opening is big enough to accommodate even a man of your… stature. Just go slowly, yeah?" His face nearly split in two from the shock that flashed across Curly's features.

The taller boy worked his mouth a couple of times but, failing to respond, gave Louis a tight nod and clutched his camera. Taking a shaky breath, he started making his way through the Fat Man's Misery. Louis followed behind, though not too closely, and didn't even laugh when the other man tripped over a couple of stairs.

“Careful now,” Louis encouraged softly, “that’s it.”

 

***

Louis liked the next room. A lot. It was one of his preferred stops on the tour. Possibly because he was able to be a bit of a shit and get away with it. He leaned languidly against the railing, rusted from being constantly exposed to the high humidity of the cave, and swept his eyes over his tour group from his vantage point on the stairs. Many of them were looking up, craning their necks to see the formations clinging to the vaulted ceiling. Louis tried not to laugh too audibly when several people flinched after being hit in the face with a drop of water.

"Do any of these things ever fall?" asked a middle-aged man in a trucker hat and a flannel shirt. Almost at once, the group shifted from underneath the largest stalactites, just in case.

Louis smiled at the anxious man. "Not a chance. Those formations are very firmly attached to the roof of the cave. Those little soda straws are somewhat fragile, but even they won't randomly fall." The man didn't look terribly comforted.

"Erm, what about the, ah, broken ones there?" Curly asked, having not strayed terribly far from Louis' perch on the stairs. He glanced over to see where Curly was pointing: A low-hanging section of drapery was missing several large chunks, looking like tattered fabric.

"Any broken formations you see were broken by human hands. Early explorers of the cave would take souvenirs, as calcite—the mineral that makes up the formations—is semi-precious." Louis clucked disapprovingly. "These formations take hundreds to thousands of years to form, and luckily are now covered by statutory protection. So don't break anything," he winked at the tall boy.

Louis pushed off of the railing and stood up straight, rolling back the cuffs of his regulation khaki shirt. "All right, there's actually something I'd like to show you all in this room." He slipped the remote control from his pocket and rested his thumb along the line of buttons. "We are far enough from the entrance of the cave that were there no electricity in here, we would be in Total Darkness. I'm going to demonstrate what that looks like now, so please stand still and let me know if you need the lights back on for any reason." Louis began clicking the bulbs off, one by one, and he absolutely wasn't enjoying the way Curly stiffened and reached up to grip the railing as the lights went out.

Louis flicked off the last light with a flourish, and a gasp rippled through the group. "This is the darkest it can get, folks! This is why a lot of creatures that live solely in caves don't have eyes; they have no use for them. It's also why it's important, should you ever go into a wild cave, that you always take at least three sources of light with you and make sure someone knows where you are." Was it Louis' imagination, or was the tall brunet pressing himself a tad nearer to Louis?

"I want you all to do something for me," he said, flustered by the solid body so close to his own. "I want everyone to take a finger and touch it to the tip of your nose. Even that close to your face, you won't be able to see your finger. Go on, try it!" He waited a few ticks before turning every light in the room back on without warning.

He was met with a beat of stunned silence as thirty people stood touching their noses, staring cross-eyed at their own hand, followed by some groans and laughter as everyone realized how foolish they looked.

Louis clapped and cheered. "Brilliant, works every time!" he crowed. On days he was feeling particularly rowdy, he would have snapped a picture of the crowd just as the lights came up. There may or may not be several such pictures of gaggles of cross-eyed strangers on his Instagram account.

Today, however, he was shaken from his reverie by someone else taking a photo of _him_. He whipped his head to the right and discovered Curly lowering his camera from his eyes with a cheeky smile. Louis briefly regarded the other man, not sure quite what to make of him. Finally returning a small smile and a playful wink, Louis hopped off the bottom stair, brushing Curly's arm as he passed.

 

***

The next room of the cave was a bit of a squeeze, loftier and more narrow than most they had seen thus far. It was one of the prettiest, though. The formations high up the rock walls had never been touched by human hands, thereby escaping the dingy, grey build-up of oil those closer to the trail had taken on.

Louis appreciated the fact that there remained things on this earth that humans hadn't managed to touch, to defile. It was quite beautiful, really. Louis' favourite formation in the cave, a snow white section of drapery all but hidden above the trail, was one such unsullied area. It was probably the most overlooked area in the entire cave, but Louis kind of liked keeping it for himself.

The rest of the group eventually finished packing into the small room. Louis noted that the brunet man was still bringing up the rear. Curly stopped once he was fully in the chamber, large eyes sweeping over the walls of the cave. Something high above captured his interest, and he swiftly lifted his camera and began snapping picture after picture. Louis followed Curly's gaze, chewing at his bottom lip when he realized the stranger was marveling at the same formation Louis had been admiring only moments before. He was still watching the man take pictures, still worrying his lip, when Curly lowered the camera and swiveled to face him.

Face aflame at being caught out, Louis squeaked, "All right, then!" and fumbled with his torch, going on to indicate distinctive features of the room and discuss types of animals that could be found in caves. He didn't notice that Curly never even bothered to look away from Louis long enough to see the things he pointed at.

Louis liked being a leader. He liked the fact that he held his audience's attention for the hour-long tour, controlled the information they learned and whether or not they saw some of the more secret areas in the cave. He liked that he was responsible for them having a good time and making it safely back to sunlight. It was surprising, then, that he found himself letting his group lead the way into the next room yet again, simply for a modicum of alone time with the boy at the very back.

"I'm going to send you on ahead. Just stop at the railing,” he cautioned. Then, with a smirk, “Don't go any further, I've got the light switch." He waggled the small remote for effect. There was some nervous laughter from the group. Louis pointed his torch beam on an overhang of rock just above the pathway into the next room. "On your way, be sure to look out for the Rock of Many Names. If you hit your head on it, you might just give it a new one," he said, imparting a saucy wink. More laughter, and the group started down the path. Louis smiled fondly at the little blonde girl from earlier.

“But I want to name it!" she whined, jumping as she passed underneath the rock.

The curly-haired stranger spared Louis a glance before moving to follow the rest of the group, lowering his head well in advance. Louis reached out and stopped him with a light touch to the arm. He allowed his hand to squeeze gently at the hard muscle underneath the sleeve of Curly’s shirt. "Hey," he said softly, his voice faintly rasping. "Do you want to see a bat?"

The other man's eyes were gemstone-green. Seriously, Louis could have carved them out and sold them in the gift shop next to the other precious stones. As Louis pondered that weird, weird thought, the eyes in question widened, and Curly nodded excitedly.

Pleased that he was able to evoke such a lovely response from the brunet, Louis gloated. He had spotted one miniscule pipistrelle just under the drapery above the trail, looking more like a hole in the rock than a living creature. He pointed his torch beam towards the little brown shadow, watching Curly's eyes light up when they settled on the delicate mammal.

 

Raising his camera as if he was afraid of startling the thing, he took a few pictures of it before turning to Louis. "Thank you so much for showing me. Is it a baby?"

Louis shook his head, caramel-coloured fringe ruffling his forehead. "Nope, that's as big as they get." He felt something flutter in his stomach at the almost childlike wonder gracing Curly's features. The young man was really quite handsome, and when his face split into a grateful smile, Louis thought he might be able to light up the entire cave by himself. His eyes fell to the full, soft (Louis just knew they had to be soft) pink lips, that unbelievable dimple deep enough to catch the water dripping from the ceiling if he tilted his head to the side. If only Louis had this man alone in the cave...

Speaking of. "As much as I'd love to give you a, er, _private_ tour," Louis said suggestively, voice soft and a little airy, "I reckon the others are waiting for us."

The brunet's cheeks nearly matched the hue of his lips, but he nodded bashfully. With a subtle wave to the sleeping bat (how on earth was this man real?), Curly ambled off to rejoin the rest of the group. If Louis was so sidetracked by the skinny jean-clad backside in front of him as to forget about the Rock of Many Names, well, who could blame him?

 

***

All through the next bit, Louis kept trying to come up with reasons to get Curly alone again. He knew it wasn't fair to his tour group, and if he wasn't out of the cave on time Liam at the front desk would throw a tantrum. Curly did ask questions in every room, though, and laughed at each terrible joke Louis spouted off: "What do you call Beethoven sitting in a cave erasing symphonies? Decomposing!" In return, Louis was lenient when the taller lad banged his head on a formation.

"Don't bleed on my cave,” the experienced guide admonished teasingly, “I haven’t got any plasters.”

Louis’d taken attractive people through Moaning Caverns loads of times. When the university geology class came for a tour, for one. Louis remembered practically knocking Zayn down to take it. No question, he wasn't above flirting with a hot tourist to make the day more interesting. It didn’t ever lead to anything, just a bit of fun at work.

He had never, but _never_ , been as infatuated with a stranger as he was with Curly. There was just something about the man that Louis couldn't put his finger on, an air of charm and manners buried underneath the awkward exterior. Louis would very much like to put his finger on it. Among other things.

As the tour was winding down, Louis felt himself growing increasingly melancholy. He planned to make the most of the time he did have left with Curly, however.

"Now this next room we're going into will be the last one of the tour," he announced.

An "awww" of disappointment came from the group.

Louis stuck out his bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. "I know, I'll miss you all too. But don't worry, we've saved the best for last! Please watch your head through this next tunnel, and then take care on the steps." He leapt down from his perch alongside the path and ducked into the aforementioned tunnel.

Traveling the familiar path, Louis, as always, found his eyes roaming over the details of the cave most people never saw. The dark, unassuming crevice he knew hid the only cave pearls in the cavern. The mysterious tunnel that branched off and led to a room high above the path the tour took. The patch on the ceiling where some of the early explorers of the cave had carved their names. These were the treasures that he couldn't gather thirty people around to show. He had never _wanted_ to share those things before, always enjoying that they were his and his alone. Now, however, he found himself wishing he could show them to a certain curly-haired beanpole.

 

***

Louis emerged from the tunnel into the last area on the tour, standing up straight and flicking on the lights without even needing to look at the remote. The tunnel opened onto a steep set of stairs leading up to a platform, and Louis preferred to let everyone else climb them while he waited at the bottom.

As the tourists started to pop out of the tunnel in little groups, Louis sent them on up the stairs. "Be sure to look over the railing!" he called, his voice echoing slightly in the tall room. He kept glancing back to the opening of the tunnel, face splitting into a grin when a mop of curls made its appearance.

Curly straightened up a little too fast, knocking his head on the dolomite the tunnel passed through. "Owwwww," he complained, massaging the spot through a mass of chocolate curls. He gave Louis a shy, endearing smile. "I don't suppose I get to name that one, do I?"

Louis' smile was so wide that his eyes went squinty, crinkling the skin around them. "I don't normally make exceptions, but I think for you I just might. What shall it be, then? Curly's Curse?"

The taller boy twisted his lips into a bemused expression at the nickname. "I think I'd like to call it Chris."

Louis stared at the other man, dumbfounded. "Chris...?" he echoed weakly.

The brunet nodded firmly, removing the hand from the sore spot on his head to lift his camera. He took a photo of "Chris.” "Like Chris Rock, get it?"

Louis groaned. "That is just terrible. If you keep up the bad jokes, I'll have to make them offer you a job. And that just won't do, because _I'm_ the funny tour guide."

"Well, now you'll think of me every time you come out of this tunnel," Curly pointed out, meeting Louis' eyes with a confidence that was startling to see come out of this stumbling, baby deer of a man.

Louis shivered a little, and it wasn't from the chill of the cave. Breaking off the somewhat intense eye contact, he shot a look over his shoulder to where the tail end of the group was disappearing up the stairs. "We need to catch up. But first," he said, hooking an arm through Curly's and leading him over to the cement steps, "look to your right," he whispered, soft enough that the rest of the tour wouldn't hear.

The taller man frowned at Louis, his lips turned down and eyebrows knit together, but he slowly rotated to the right to look for whatever it was Louis wanted him to see. Louis knew the exact moment Curly saw it by the way his mouth snapped open and eyes widened in shock.

 

"That's... That's..." Harry stammered, cheeks flushed.

"A giant, calcite penis? Why yes, it is!" Louis said with far more enthusiasm than that sentence required.

This particular formation was about two and a half feet tall and backlit, drawing attention to exactly how much it resembled a massive boner. Louis leaned closer to the other man, standing on his tip toes to whisper directly in his ear: "We call it the phallactite."

Before he could process what had happened, Curly let out a squawk of laughter and clapped his hands over his mouth. Louis grinned at the mirthful shine to those brilliant green eyes, pleased to compel such a powerful response from the giggling man.

Curly stopped laughing and swiped at his eyes. He took a few pictures of the ridiculous formation, shaking his head in amusement as he did so.

Still smiling, Louis rested a hand on the small of Curly's back and nudged him toward the stairs. "Go on, now. You'll see it again on the way out. Just be discreet about it, yeah? I don't need any grandmothers complaining that I was pointing out lewd formations." _Again_ , he added silently.

Curly rewarded Louis with a warm smile, his dimple even more devastating up close, and turned to make his way up the stairs. Louis followed far enough behind on the steps to be eye-level with the other man's denim-clad bum. "You know, this is the best view I've ever had going up these stairs," he murmured.

Curly looked over his shoulder, the difference in their height even more drastic on the steps. "Too bad _you_ didn't bring a camera on the tour," he shot back, his lazy drawl taking on a teasing tone.

Louis opened his mouth for a retort but never got the chance. Just as Curly was taking the final step up to the landing with the rest of the tour group, he reached for where he thought the railing was and missed. It felt like slow-motion as the clumsy brunet started to fall, but Louis quickly sprang into action, surging forward and wrapping his arms around Curly's waist.

There was a beat of silence, Louis and the other man both breathing heavily, then the rest of the tour group clapped and cheered. Louis made sure Curly was steady before reluctantly withdrawing his arms, standing upright and bowing for the group. "Thank you, all part of the job. Please remember to watch your step!" he called out, Curly ducking his head in embarrassment and pretending to be fascinated by something in the opposite direction of Louis.

The last room of the tour really was a great place to end on. The landing at the top of the stairs was surrounded on three sides by speleothem-adorned walls. The fourth side was open save for the railing, overlooking a topaz-blue underground lake. Guests _oohed_ and _aahed_ at the striking colour of the water twenty feet below, snapping pictures that never quite managed to capture how beautiful it was in person.

Louis liked to give everyone a minute to look around and take pictures before he started his talk, letting people ask questions if they had any. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and sure enough, Curly was waving him over. The tall boy was practically draped over the railing, his large hands wrapped around his camera. He looked almost apologetic for taking up more of Louis' attention.

"Thanks for catching me," he murmured, not quite meeting Louis' gaze. He gestured down at the lake below them. "How, erm, deep is it? The water?" he asked.

"About thirty feet or so. Why, fancy a swim? It's pretty chilly," Louis teased.

Curly's eyebrows shot up, filling his forehead with little lines. "Wow. It's so clear, though." He contemplated the water for a moment before tilting his head toward Louis, making eye contact. "It's the colour of your eyes, you know."

Louis gaped at the other man, at a loss for how to respond to what was one of the nicest compliments he'd ever received. Luckily, the little blonde girl chose that moment to come and drag him away to answer a few questions. Louis shot an apologetic look over his shoulder at the curly-haired man before allowing himself to be led away. Was it just his imagination, or had the temperature in the cave actually managed to rise a few degrees?

Once Louis had told his group about the underground lake and the rest of the cave that was inaccessible to the tour, it was time to head back. There were no other entrances, so the way out was exactly the same as the way in. It wasn't boring, though: Louis made sure he saved some fun facts for the way back out.

He was standing at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Fat Man's Misery when he noticed that Curly had managed to sneak to the front of the group. Louis could feel the man's gorgeous green eyes on him, but deliberately avoided meeting Curly's gaze as he waited for the rest of the group to catch up. Once they had, he climbed up on the first step, peering out over the crowd. "I'm sure you all remember the Fat Man's Misery! Once we get through here, you're free to head back out into the sunlight. If you'd like me to take a photo of your party, I'll be waiting in front of the Moaning formation in the next room. Thank you all so much for coming, and please be careful on the stairs!" That last bit was said very deliberately in Curly's direction. The taller man looked flustered and the members of the tour who caught the exchange laughed.

With a satisfied smirk, Louis turned to start climbing the damp concrete stairs. He paused for a moment when he suddenly felt Curly catch up to him, craning his neck over Louis' shoulder to whisper against the shell of his ear: "I guess it's my turn to enjoy the view," he rasped, his voice nearly a purr. Louis swallowed hard and kept climbing the stairs, and if it was just a little more difficult for his lower half to fit through the dense cluster of formations, he knew who was to blame.

Louis took up his position in front of the namesake formation again, aware of Curly still trailing close behind him. Most everyone who was on the tour would just pass by on their way out of the cave, some calling out a 'thank you' as they went. A few would come over and shake Louis' hand, even fewer slipping him a tip. There were a few families who stopped and asked Louis to take their photo, and he was more than happy to oblige. Meanwhile, Curly just stood quietly off to the side, observing Louis' bright interactions with a thoughtful expression.

Once everyone was gone, Louis turned to face the brunet man, hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers. "Well, Curly, it's just you and me." He flinched inwardly at having accidentally voiced the nickname.

Curly's bottom lip had been tucked between his teeth, but he released it in a shy smile. "Yeah, I was wondering if I could take a picture of you."

Louis sucked in a surprised breath. "I beg your pardon?"

Curly's gaze fell to the ground and there he went, sucking that lower lip into his mouth again. Louis desperately pushed away thoughts of the other boy letting him give it a go.

"I want to have a picture of you. To remember you by. The—the one I got earlier was blurry," he confessed guiltily.

Louis felt his cheeks redden. He had never considered that he'd be anything more than a passing fancy for the green-eyed boy, a funny story he told his friends about the tour guide with the nice ass and terrible jokes.

"Oh, erm, all right." He drew himself up to his full height of 1.75 m, smoothing out his shirt and giving his fringe a quick ruffle. "Do I look okay? The humidity, it makes my hair go all frizzy."

Curly barked out a laugh. "I think I'll forgive you for not being runway-ready in a hole in the ground," he said in his lazy rasp. He brought his camera to his eye without warning and snapped a photo.

"Oi! I wasn't ready yet!" Louis squawked indignantly, hands flying to rest on his hips.

The tall boy grinned apologetically from behind the camera. "I know. But you were being you. I like photos when people aren't posing for them. They're more honest. Let me take another one? I'll warn you this time."

Louis stuck out his bottom lip, pouting at the idea of him looking disheveled being released into the universe. What if had two chins or something in his teeth? Why would this charming stranger want to remember _that_ Louis? Reluctantly, he agreed to another photo, this time aiming his most dazzling smile at the camera. He may not have dimples, but Louis knew he wasn't exactly hard on the eyes, either.

Curly pulled the camera away from his face, flipping through the photos he had taken on the view screen. "These are great, thanks," he said, sounding genuinely grateful.

Louis fidgeted, not quite wanting their encounter to end. In moments, they would walk out of the cave and into the real world and this strange, gangly, lovely boy would be gone from his life. He wanted something to remember him by as well.

"D'you think I could have a photo of you?" he asked, surprising himself by how shyly he asked. Louis didn't _do_ shy. Coy, maybe, but never shy. "It's only fair," he added at the look of confusion on the brunet's face.

Curly contemplated for a moment before slowly nodding. "I suppose, to be fair," he agreed. He moved to stand in front of the wall of drapery. "Here okay?" he asked, standing with his hands clasped behind his back and his toes turned in slightly.

Louis pulled out his cell phone and slotted himself against the taller man's side. "I want to be in it with you," he said, holding the device an arm's length away. Curly's look of surprise quickly gave way to a grin, and he stooped a little to press his face closer to Louis'.

"Three, two, one!" Louis counted, his arm shaking at the last moment and blurring the picture. He sighed as he held up the photo for Curly to see. "I'm absolutely rubbish at taking selfies. It's a curse, really, to look this good and not be able to share it with the world."

Curly laughed at that as he plucked the mobile from Louis' grasp. Louis was momentarily startled by the brush of their fingers together, but didn't have long to contemplate it because the other man was already holding the phone out for another picture. "My arms are longer," he said sheepishly, handing the device back to Louis afterward.

"I know, I know, I'm short," Louis retorted, taking his phone and examining the picture. It was a really good photo, not blurry or chopping off parts of anyone's faces. He quickly saved the image and tucked his mobile back into his pocket.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them then, punctuated by the steady drip of water from the ceiling. Curly scuffed his shoes against the wet pavement, careful not to meet Louis' gaze. It was clear he wasn't ready for this to end either.

But, unfortunately, it had to. Louis needed to check in with Liam—he was going to be scolded for being late as it was—and chances were there was another tour waiting to go into the cave. Plastering on a fake smile, he clapped Curly on the back. "All right, then, let's get you back out into the daylight. You look like you could use a little sun."

There was a hint of something, maybe sorrow, in those brilliant green eyes, but Curly nodded and returned a dim smile of his own. "Yeah, I wanted to check out the shops anyway." They made their way toward the entrance, Louis selfishly keeping his hand on the small of Curly's back as they went. The other man certainly didn't mind.

Louis spent those last few moments steeling himself to say goodbye to Curly, accepting the fact that he'd never see the other man again, but as it happens he wasn't even given the chance. He'd no sooner swung the gate closed behind him when he was basically tackled by Zayn. He made himself taller to look for Curly over Zayn's shoulders. The other boy, however, was already gone. Louis swallowed against the pang of disappointment and eased back down on flat feet.

"What the hell took you so long?" Zayn asked, his arms on Louis' shoulders. "Liam's in a right state, he was just sending me in to check on you. Think he's convinced you fell or something like that."

Louis' lips twitched into a smile, his mind a slideshow of green eyes and chocolate curls and that fucking _dimple_. He'd fallen, all right.

"Yeah, something like that.”

 

***

When Louis pushed open the door to the gift shop, Liam was waiting. "What the hell, Tomlinson? You were due out nearly twenty minutes ago! I've had to keep Zayn's tour waiting!"

Louis looked away from the stern brown eyes of his supervisor, toeing the ugly carpet of the shop. "I'm sorry, Li. I got to talking to one of the guests. Lost track of time." He brought his eyes back to meet Liam's gaze bravely. "It won't happen again."

Expression softening, Liam sighed. "As long as the customer left happy, yeah? That's all right, then." He clapped a hand on Louis' shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. "C'mon, you can clean around the shop and then go on your lunch break."

Louis followed Liam over to the ticket counter, grabbing the glass cleaner and kitchen roll from underneath it as Liam settled back into his black office chair. Liam was officially the tour supervisor, making sure they ran on schedule and handling any complaints or concerns. Mainly he spent his days answering phones, selling tickets, and trying to keep Louis and Zayn out of mischief. Liam had been a tour guide himself before being promoted, and it always amused Louis to imagine how no-nonsense and matter-of-fact that tour must have been. Liam probably never made dick jokes about cave formations.

With a sigh, Louis trudged away with his cleaning supplies. The gift shop was exactly what you'd expect at a cave, full of gemstones and minerals and t-shirts. The case Louis was currently wiping fingerprints from held an assortment of gemstone jewelry. His eyes fell on a set of tourmaline earrings, the centre stones bringing to mind a set of clear green eyes. Shaking his head, Louis briskly moved on to the next display case. He was not going to pine over someone he had barely spent an hour with.

He also might have Zayn take care of cleaning that particular case for awhile.

Once Louis had finished wiping down all of the displays, only glancing at the picture on his cell phone twice, he turned to take the cleaning supplies back to the desk. He wasn't prepared for his body to collide with another. Louis cried out in surprise and nearly dropped the bottle of Windowlene when he saw who it was: Curly!

The man rubbed at the back of his head nervously, his cheeks tinted pink. "Oops. Sorry about that."

Louis' realized his mouth was hanging open, and he shut it with a soft _click_. "Hi," he breathed, mouth suddenly very dry. "I thought you'd gone.”

Curly's eyes met Louis' then, and Louis realized that the tourmaline earrings didn't hold a candle to how captivating they were.

"Told you I wanted to check out the shop. I promised I'd get something for my mum and sister," he explained, holding up the shopping bag dangling from his left hand.

Louis' stomach dropped a little. _Of course he didn't stick around just to see you, you twat_. He managed a small smile. "Well, I hope you had a good time at the park. You should bring them next time." He raised his eyebrows hopefully.

Curly's smile was ground-moving, and it was fixed on _Louis_. "Yeah, next time I will. My gran lives around here, and we visit a lot, and I had just never made it to the caverns before."

 _We visit a lot we visit a lot we visit a lot_. The words were on a loop in Louis' head, his own smile so wide that his cheeks ached a bit. "Well, be sure to stop by again. If they don't want to come, we do have _private_ tours available."

"Erm, private tours? Are they different?" Curly asked, seemingly not picking up on the innuendo. He appeared interested, in any case.

Louis nodded earnestly. "Oh, yes, loads different. It means pointing out a lot more details and going off the trail a bit. You know, exploring some tight passageways, getting on your hands and knees, that kind of thing. If you aren't afraid of getting dirty, of course."

Curly's smile had faded into a look of absolute shock, and for a moment Louis was worried he'd gone too far. The other man laughed after a moment. "Yeah, that sounds brilliant. Next time, for sure."

"Just call the front desk to schedule a time. I'm here every day but Wednesday and Sunday," Louis said, trying to seem nonchalant instead of extremely turned on at the prospect of having this devastatingly handsome man alone in a cave for several hours.

The brunet nodded enthusiastically. "I will, definitely." He silently regarded Louis for a moment, eyes bright, that now-familiar dimple present on his pale cheek. "It was nice meeting you, Louis. I'll see you soon."

And with that, Curly turned and headed toward the exit of the shop. Louis' heart was pounding, wanting to draw this out as long as possible but knowing he couldn't. Instead, he settled for calling out to the taller man. "I look forward to showing you the _real_ reason why they call it Moaning Caverns!"

The statement earned a few stares from the tourists in the shop and a glare from Liam, but it was absolutely worth it when the curly-haired man walked straight into a rack of post cards. He quickly regained his composure, shot a flustered grin at Louis, and slipped out of the door.

Louis was positively beaming, despite the disapproving look from Liam. He quickly deposited the cleaning supplies behind the desk and practically skipped to the break room. Curly was going to call, he just knew it. He had no doubt that he'd be seeing that boy again.

It wasn't until later, after Zayn had listened to Louis’ retelling and asked if he had thought to get the man's name or mobile number, that Louis realized what an idiot he was.

 

***

A week passed. It was a Tuesday evening, just after the last guests had cleared out of the gift shop, and Liam had locked the doors behind them. Louis was hoovering the carpeted floor of the shop, humming to himself and swaying as he pushed the beast of a machine around the various displays. He hadn't managed to stop thinking of the nameless stranger yet, and he certainly had not set their cave selfie as the background of his phone.

Louis became vaguely aware of Liam shouting something over the roar (more like the death rattle) of the vacuum, waving his arms to try and get Louis' attention. Louis switched off the machine and turned to face Liam, hand on his hip. "What do you want now? I know how to vacuum properly, _Mum_ ," he teased.

Liam rolled his eyes. "You've got some comment cards. If you want to read them, do it soon, please, so I can file them."

Louis perked up at that, eyebrows raised. Most people walked straight by the comment box on the ticket counter, so it was always nice to actually get some feedback. Liam emptied the little box out about once a week, but there were still only a handful of cards for all of the guides. Zayn, as usual, accounted for the majority, and Louis was certain at least half of them were marriage proposals or sonnets about his cheekbones.

Liam handed Louis a short stack of cards, which Louis snatched up excitedly. "It's not that big of a deal," he muttered, turning back to the end-of-day paperwork.

"You're just jealous because you don't get any," Louis shot back, parking his bum on the counter to read his cards. He'd received three this time, a pleasant surprise since he usually averaged one. The first was from a primary school teacher, thanking him for his patience with her charges on their field trip the previous week. Louis shuddered at the memory of that tour. With limited natural air circulation, smells tended to stay in the cave. Suffice it to say, the cavern smelled like urine for the rest of the day.

The second card was clearly from a child, "thank you" scrawled sloppily with uneven lettering, complete with a stick figure drawing of a family. Louis smiled, always happy when kids had a good time on the tour. He dreaded the day his tour was less fun and more lecture (like Liam's probably had been, he guessed). He flipped to the last card and froze.

The message was written in neat, rounded letters. _Thank you for the tour. Send me that picture? xx Harry._ There was a phone number jotted underneath. Louis swallowed hard, staring at the slip of paper reverently.

 

"Everything all right, mate? You look like you've seen a ghost," Liam asked, concern bunching up his thick eyebrows. He frowned slightly. "That's not another complaint about you being inappropriate, is it? You know what I've told you about being rude during tours."

Louis tilted his head over his shoulder, grinning widely. "Everyone loves the '69 Tour,' Liam. And no, that's not what this is." He was suddenly very protective of the little note in his hand, not wanting to share Curly's— _Harry's_ —message with anyone else. "Do you think I could keep this one?" he asked meekly.

Liam's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he looked from Louis to the comment card. "Does this have anything to do with you moping all week?" he asked, rubbing the scruff on his chin. At Louis' embarrassed nod, Liam's face shifted into a charitable grin. "Of course you can. As long as you promise you're not trying to keep any complaints from me.”

Louis smiled gratefully and tucked the note into the pocket of his work shirt. "Thanks, Li." He quickly hopped down from the counter, eager to stow the vacuum away and finish up the rest of his duties. Or maybe he’d skive off early. After all, he had a boy to text.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This was originally meant to be a one-shot, but I do have ideas for a second part if there's any interest. Please let me know what you think!
> 
> Feel free to come and say hi to me on [tumblr](http://icanhazzalou.tumblr.com/)! The post for this fic can be found [here](http://icanhazzalou.tumblr.com/post/100757190391/toes-on-the-edge-by-kiwikero-icanhazzalou/), and I'd be over the moon if you wanted to reblog it.
> 
> ETA: There is now officially a second part! Check it out [here!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2780762) Thanks for all the love and support. <3


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